Contents of September/October 1997

Editorial

Events

News

Opinion pole

Inspiration

Insult

Battle of the ‘burbs

Tree of the issue

Information technology

Regenerative design - The Grand Axis of Paris
Graham Young reports on a proposal to 'regenerate' the Grand Axis in Paris

'Talking to the trees'

Infracom adds the 'Techno Pine Tree' to a range of cellular phone masts disguised as trees

Green buildings

Boutek proposes a 'Green Buildings for Africa Programme'

Office environments - three options
The Urban Green File features three developments that incorporate offices:
Bara-link, Soweto
Atterbury Estate, Menlyn
The Cloisters, Rivonia
The psychology of office parks

Tswaing Crater Museum Trail
Carol Knoll walks along an educational trail at the ‘environmental museum’ in Soshanguve.

Play Pump

Optiview
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EDITORIAL

City dwellers tend to think of ‘the environment’ as something that is far away - pristine nature reserves, mountainous areas and rocky coastlines. However, only a few have the opportunity to visit these areas regularly. We spend much more of our time in urban surroundings, and a rather large part of that, at work. So important is employment in our society, that we tend to define our very existence according to the work we do: accountancy, architecture, engineering, etc. The theme for this issue ‘the office environment - office buildings and parks’ is at the core of every city dweller’s being.

The office environment has seen many changes during the last few decades. The accepted thing during the sixties and seventies was to have an office in a high rise building in a city centre. Workers had to commute over long distances to get to work. The eighties and nineties have seen a move away from central business districts into office parks closer to, or within, residential areas. This has lead to the decay of city centres and here Johannesburg is in the forefront - and although the workplace and the home may be in close proximity now, they, usually, still exist in separate zoned areas. What we should be striving for is a more integrated urban fabric, where developments incorporate offices, retail, residential and even light industrial. Offices and shops should be mixed with residential, and more residential use should be introduced into the empty city centres. The trend towards ‘home-offices’ may be a step in the right direction. Cities will only be sustainable when these different land uses are integrated and served by proper public transport - the proposed Bara-link development in Soweto (see article) is a good example.

Included with this issue is a packet of seeds, distributed by Total as part of the Arbor Week celebrations which took place from 1 to 7 September. We hope that they will add a little greenery to your working environment!

Gerald Garner – editor

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EVENTS

International events

ENVITEC 98

The international trade fair for technology for environmental protection and waste management is scheduled for 2 - 6 March 1998 in Germany. Contact Annelie Jansen at Tel: (011) 486 2775

Landscapers Conference

The South African Landscapers Institute (SALI), is hosting an International Landscaping Conference at Sun City from 22 to 25 February 1998. For more information contact Gilbert Briscoe at Tel (011) 464 1098 or Lolly Stuart at Tel (0331) 425779

WasteCon ’98 - ‘New perspectives in Waste Management’

WasteCon ‘98, an international waste management conference organised by the Institute of Waste Management, is scheduled for 13 to 15 October 1998 at the World Trade Centre, Kempton Park. The conference will explore new perspectives in waste management, in particular those applicable to Southern Africa. To attend the conference or to present a paper contact Piet Theron at

Tel: (011) 7871151

National events

Civil engineering and sustainable development

The South African Institution of Civil Engineering’s congress on ‘civil engineering and sustainable development’ is scheduled for 6 - 8 April 1998 in East London. Contact SAICE at Tel: (011) 648 1184 or e-mail: saice@cis.co.za

GSLA Year End Function

The Gauteng Society for Landscape Architecture’s year-end function is scheduled for Saturday 22 November 1997 at the Blue Crane Restaurant in Pretoria. Contact Michelle Wheeler at Tel: (012) 308 8846

Interbuild Africa ‘98 and Plumbing Africa ‘98 join forces

Interbuild Africa ‘98 and Plumbing Africa ‘98 are to be co-located at Gallagher Estate, Midrand from 19 to 22 August 1998. Interbuild Africa, the largest showcase for the entire building and construction industry, celebrates 30 years of existence in 1998. Interbuild Africa is also scheduled for 17 to 20 March 1999 at the Good Hope Centre in Cape Town. Contact Theresa Bezuidenhout at Tel: (011) 835 1565 or e-mail: specialx@icon.co.za

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NEWS

EduPlant winners announced
Hlabelela Public School from Ekangala in Mpumalanga has won the EduPlant School' Competition for 1997. EduPlant 1997 focused on permaculture - a system of farming and growing that combines plants, buildings, water, animals and the local landscape in a way that produces more energy than it uses, recycles all nutrients and minerals, and interferes with nature as little as possible. Entrants were required to submit a proposal on how they would develop their school environment according to basic permaculture principles which incorporate a sustainable approach to natural resources, food gardening and recycling. Hlabelela Public School was commended for its efforts to involve the community as the project had a positive impact in creating job opportunities.

Jo’burg Zoo recycles cans
The Johannesburg Zoo recently handed a cheque to the Self Help Association of the Disabled in Alexandra (SHADAX). The funds came from the collection and recycling of thousands of beverage cans collected by zoo visitors during the last three months. The project involving the Johannesburg Zoo, the Aluminium Can Recycling Association (ACRA) and Green Can Marketing was launched at the zoo on World Environment Day. In return for recyclable cans, can recycling machines dubbed ‘Lucky Machines’ issued prizes sponsored by the zoo. Many thousands of cans which normally would have ended up on landfills were recycled and provided a source of much needed income to organisations such as SHADAX. The project will continue indefinitely.

Awaken your senses!
The Sasol Sensory Trail in Delta Park has been developed to provide an interactive experience with the natural environment. The trail which encourages visitors to use their senses - feel the bark of a tree, appreciate the aroma of a particular plant, listen to bird song and watch tent-web spiders at work - has essentially been constructed with the needs of the disabled in mind and is the first of its kind in the Greater Johannesburg. The trail is 103 m long, while its width allows wheelchairs to pass one another and to turn comfortably, and the concrete bricked pathway has a maximum slope of 1:12. Braille signboards posted along the path highlight the sensory focus at the various points of interest, while a guide booklet developed by Delta Environmental Centre assists with interpretation and provides more detailed information.

Sasol provided sponsorship for the trail, while LTA contributed to the construction, Concor Building Products supplied the bricks and Sandton Rotary Club provided the elevated boardwalk. Rob and Julie Filmer of Eco-Access were consulted on the accessibility of the trail, John Roff on the signage and booklet and architect Michael Thomas on the design of the trail.

Contact Delta Environmental Centre at Tel: (011) 888-4831. Physical address: Delta Park, Road No 3, Victory Park, Johannesburg.

1998 Environment Diary
The new Environment Diary which supports the efforts of Dr Ian Player’s Wilderness Leadership School (WLS) is available from Enviroprint in Durban and from Pick ‘n Pay supermarkets, P&A Stores and other retail outlets, countrywide, from October 1997. To date, the WLS has received over

R 120 000 from sales of the Diary which is now in its sixth year of publication. The diary, with its distinctive cover, is an ideal tool for promoting environmental awareness as it contains over 80 explanatory texts on environmental topics, written by well known environmental scientist Arend Hoogervorst.

This year’s Diary also includes: an index of the environmental topics covered in the publication and a glossary of environmental terms; a list of environmental organisations, as well as TV and radio programmes; and tips on how to research environmental topics, and further reading. The Diary makes an ideal gift for clients and employees and their children.

Contact Enviroprint cc, Private Bag X1, Pavillion, Durban 3611.Tel: (031) 701-5315. Fax: (031) 701-5377.

Environmental newsletter for professionals
The Eagle Bulletin is now in its eighth year of publication and editor Arend Hoogervorst deserves to be congratulated on maintaining the high quality of information and commentary that the bulletin has carried, over this length of time. The newsletter reviews environmental surveys, reports, books and journals, and comments on Green and White Papers, along with publicising pertinent conferences and seminars across the country. The main article in the July ‘97 issue looks at the recent Human Sciences Research Council survey which posed questions to the public to ascertain their perception of the role companies are playing in protecting the environment. Hoogervorst concludes that company credibility is low in the eyes of the public and this is because companies are not communicating their efforts and successes, effectively.

Contact Eagle Environmental, Private Bag X1, Pavillion 3611.

Tel: (031) 701-5315. Fax: (031) 701-5377. E-MAIL: arend@iafrica.com

Archiforum launched
The first Archiforum took place at the PG Glass Centre in Midrand on 10 September 1997. Various architects presented their buildings to a group interested in architecture, while Mike Lipman, Gardiol Bergenthuin and Hanna Le Roux served on a panel to review the buildings. The aim of Archiforum is to stimulate a healthy debate concerning architecture and meetings will be held every few months.

Contact Karin van der Westhuizen at Tel: (011) 784 1101

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OPINION POLE

Compliments to The Urban Green File
As a farmer, conservationist, and manufacturer and installer of landscape walling, I congratulate you on the layout and well researched, detailed content of your magazine. Keep them coming. It is a winner and right up my street.

Mike Mangold, Terraforce Eastern Cape

Enviro-report for Bruma Lake ignored
In reply to the article ‘Urban rivers and wetlands – threatened’ in the July / August 1997 issue of The Urban Green File, Alan Roosendal sent us a copy of an environmental management report he prepared for Plan Associates prior to the construction of Bruma Lake. The report ‘A guide to the design and future management of the lake’ clearly spells out some measures that are considered necessary both during construction and thereafter in the management of the lake. It would seem, however, that most of these environmental concerns have been ignored by those involved in developing and managing Bruma Lake.

A few of the recommendations mentioned in the report which would have helped to improve the water quality, but which have been ignored are:

• "... retention ponds and cut off drains can be used to control surface water run-off and improve water quality."
• "The form or shape of the lake should be natural and the shoreline planted with hydrophytic plant material, not only for aesthetic reasons, but also for hydraulic efficiency. Unnatural or geometric shorelines can create dead water with its associated debris and odour or have the opposite effect by creating turbulence with scouring of banks, lake bottom and the resultant turbidity or discolouration of the water."
• "Certain water (hydrophytic) plants can improve water quality and when planted in feeder streams, may filter out large quantities of sediment. Artificial reed banks can be created at the point where the feeder streams enter the lake by constructing berms and plant-ing the reeds so that they extend into the shallows behind, to the front and sides of the berms."
• "The most important concern would be the control and management of the catchment area, which falls largely under the auspices of the local government."

As long as developers and local governments ignore environmental

reports, or only commission them as a public relations effort, without adhering to any of the recommendations, the environment will continue to be harmed by insensitive developments. There are rumours of a new masterplan being prepared for the Zoo Lake Park in Johannesburg. One can only hope that this will not merely be a face lift in the form of a few beds of exotic plants, or the improvement of built facilities, but that it will also address the water quality and introduce submerged, emergent and littoral zone planting at the shoreline of Zoo Lake. The opportunity exists to improve the water quality through retention ponds, artificial wetlands and aquatic vegetation, whilst at the same time creating an educational tool to explain the working of water cycles to the public. - Ed.

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INSPIRATION
The designers of Imagination Corporation - a graphic design company - find inspiration in their office environment. So does Anton Comrie.

Passing through the large wooden doors of Jupiter House - home of the Imagination Corporation in Rivonia - my reactions were confused, then intrigued and then delighted. Underneath the giant roof painting of a winged mermaid, the foyer consists of an eclectic collection of designer furniture, custom designed reception desk by Marc Swart, as well as a classic showcase filled with prestigious design awards. In the main boardroom, the interplay between classic and contemporary is even more evident. Classic wooden chairs flank the cloud-shaped boardroom table. A 1971 Alexis Preller relief lends a mystical atmosphere to this space while the high tech presenter podium speaks of creative flair and design innovation. One enters the office space and studios through a welded metal ‘drum’ door also designed by Mark Swart. "The offices are flexible to ensure that the employees can personalise their own working space," says Heather Gomes - designer and director of the Imagination Corporation. "We believe that our people are our greatest asset and we often move the whole studio around to accommodate someone new and to make him or her feel at home. Robust and inspirational are the key words - graphic designers must be creative and need to be inspired by their environment. "When our clients walk into our offices they know what we are about and we believe that our company’s corporate image should be reflected not only in the stationery or packaging but right down to the coffee cups used in the office." Imagination = Inspiration that is how I see it !

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INSULT
A piece of open land, next to the Pirates Club in Johannesburg, is the scene of illegal dumping - building rubble is dumped on the banks of the river with rubble falling into the stream, polluting the water and defacing the riverine environment. A variety of sources exists - The Urban Green File found the following evidence on a site visit: bricks and stationery from a restaurant nearby which is being renovated; reinforced concrete pieces - obviously from a major building site nearby as major machinery is necessary to rip a concrete slab apart; letterheads and accounts bearing the name of a hotel; and domestic waste, including family photographs. Both the individuals who are guilty of such environmentally unacceptable behaviour and the local council (Northern Metropolitan Local Council) that has done nothing to prevent this illegal dumping, on land under their jurisdiction, are guilty of insulting the environment. The owner of the gym, next to the site, says that this problem has existed for the last three years since a car accident left an opening in the fence next to the road. Stiff penalties should be enforced on those who infringe on our right to a safe and clean environment, as guaranteed in the constitution!

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BATTLE OF THE ‘BURBS
While there may be a strong tendency amongst Capetonians to repopulate the City Bowl, the Greater City still tends to reflect that typically South African trend of ‘flight to the suburbs’. The metropole now thus extends from Fish Hoek / Muizenberg in the south to Melkbos in the north. Whilst Muizenberg reflects the past. Melkbos is of the present - Muizenberg, established and decaying - Melkbos burgeoning and developing. Their commonality - both serve as dormitory suburbs for workers in the city from opposite ends of the metropole.

Land use

Accesibility

Development potential

Sense of community

Environmental quality

Conclusion

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TREE OF THE ISSUE

Peltophorum africanum

Commonly known as the African weeping wattle, this smallish to medium sized tree flowers for a fairly extended period between November and February forming large, showy clusters of bright yellow flowers. The tree is both cold and drought resistant.

Carol Knoll spoke to Colin Hope of Van Riet & Louw Landscape Architects to ascertain his opinion on the suitability of this tree to street tree plantings, because he had chosen the tree to demarcate the main entrance to Kerkstraat pedestrian mall in Pretoria. Hope said that the tree was chosen largely because of the colour of its flowers and the fact that it had a different growth habit from Kirkia accuminata and Celtis africana which were also used along Kerkstraat, but lastly because it was deciduous but had fine leaves that were inclined to blow away with the wind. Hope said that deciduous trees fared better in the city environs where there was a build-up of pollution and dust on the leaf surfaces, as this was inclined to smother the trees, and the annual defoliation would rid the trees of this build-up. He added that the fine leaves of the weeping wattle were unlikely to clog drains.

Another consideration, and an important one, he said, had been the availability of Peltophorum in large sizes (3 - 4 m in height) at the time the trees were required. These were supplied by Robbie Beaumont’s nursery, Instant Trees, and were chosen because they were open ground trees which had been allowed to follow their natural, bushy growth habit, with their lower branches fairly close to the ground - and were not pruned up, nursery specimens. He said that this horizontal growth had been an important consideration in the overall design, where everything else - lamp posts, bollards and trees - was ‘upright’ and a contrast was needed on the wider pavement areas at the entrances to the mall.

Refering to the ‘weeping’ or dripping habit which these trees are inclined to manifest when spittle bugs feed on the sap of the twigs, he said that there had been no sign of this on the Kerkstraat specimens. He added that the extensive number of pods, which gave an additional, seasonal, aesthetic dimension to the trees, could be seen as a problem, as they would need to be swept up when they dropped.

The trees were planted in large holes filled with imported topsoil, without the addition of either compost or fertiliser, and with an automatic irrigation system in the form of a bubbler placed in a section of slotted pipe, that was filled with crushed stone and laid around the root system of each tree, to allow the water to leak gradually into that area. The top of the pipe was positioned below the level of the tree grid and the lid hidden under the gravel, as a protection against possible vandalism. Hope commented that the trees had suffered slight transplant shock initially but had recovered quickly producing new shoots within three weeks, and had flowered very well over the past two seasons.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Conference on computer aided architectural design
The fifth international conference on computers in architectural design is scheduled for 23 to 25 April 1998 at the Technical University of Bialystok in Poland.

Contact Adam Jakimowicz at the Technical University of Bialystok, Faculty of Architecture. Fax: + (48) 422929 or e-mail: jakima@cksr.ac.bialystok

Geo-Information Management in Africa
The second international conference for professionals interested in GIS and Spatial Information Management is scheduled for 29 to 31 October 1997. The theme is ‘sustainable geo-information management’.

Contact the Conference Co-ordinater at Tel: (011) 315 0390

or e-mail: gisconf@gims.com

Data in the engineering environment

The availability of relevant and up-to-date data has been a problem in the engineering environment for a long time, according to Johan Nel and Christopher Ueckermann at the Computer Foundation. Engineers have been forced to use paper based information to base decisions on, or to go into costly data gathering exercises. This, inevitably, has an influence on the accuracy and cost of projects.

However, the availability of digital data has changed this scenario dramatically. Several digital datasets are available from Computer Foundation. These include:

• 1:50 000 datasets for communications (roads, railways and powerlines), hydrography (rivers, pans and dams) and built-up areas for the whole country, as well as 20 m contours for a large part of the country, but these do not include farm boundaries and names.
• 1:500 000 topographical data (all features published in the 1:500 000 topographical maps).
• Digital terrain models for the whole country in point distances from 50 m to 400 m.
• Map Studio street guides (1: 20 000) for metropolitan areas in raster and vector formats.
• The Map Studio atlas for southern Africa in raster and vector formats (1: 1 500 000).
• Street maps for 194 towns in Southern Africa in raster and vector formats.

These datasets can be integrated into the company’s existing GIS applications.

Contact Craig Lipawsky or Martiens Pelser at Tel: (012) 672 0100

or e-mail: CraigL@cf.denel.co.za

Presenting made easy
ERDAS has released Mapsheet, a product which allows users to create attractive, informative maps and reports for presentation purposes quickly and easily. Combining geographic analysis, business information and integrated report generation in a single package, MapSheet is designed to be totally interactive. Mapsheet is compatible with Windows 3.1/95/NT and Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access). Users need only click on any map file in Project Manager to have the map appear in the presentation. Files can be retrieved from leading imaging and GIS applications, including ERDAS IMAGINE, ARC/INFO and ArcView. Data can be included from Excel spread sheets and corporate databases. Satellite images, current demographic data and future population projections - all can be utilised in the map presentations made possible by MapSheets (Source: GIMS Info, May 1997).

Contact GIMS at Tel: (011) 315 0390

Townscape brochures on CD-Rom
Enviro Elements cc, manufacturers of the Townscape range of street furniture have launched a CD-Rom containing information about their whole range of furniture. It includes dimensions and specifications and the drawings can be clipped into AutoCAD. The CD-Rom is available for Windows 3.1, 95 and NT and is distributed free to relevant companies.

Contact Dave McCall at Tel: (011) 622 8820

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REGENERATIVE DESIGN - THE GRAND AXIS OF PARIS

Landscape architect and urban designer, Graham Young, reports on a proposal to ‘regenerate’ the ‘Grand Axis’ in Paris, utilising an urban river and urban forest as they function in nature, adapting them to the urban environment, and augmenting them with the scientific and technical facility of the later 20th century.

The garden has long been the clearest expression of the human relationship with nature. Several times in history, forms and relationships first expressed in the garden were later translated into urban terms to become part of the basic vocabulary of urban plans. The grand allees of the baroque gardens of Versailles were transplanted to become the grand boulevards of Paris and other cities around the world. The pastoral settings of the English romantic garden became the urban parks of the 19th and 20th century.

All design of the human environment is based on some fundamental model of the essential character of nature. The ‘recent’ human landscape, including our cities, was shaped according to a concept of nature that grew out of the Renaissance notion that humans are the measure of all things. The axial layout and strict geometry of the Renaissance garden expressed this new relationship between humans and nature with particular clarity.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the shaping of urban environments grew from a highly mechanistic world view best symbolised by the conception of the earth as a giant machine. The parts of the machine could be analysed one at a time through rigorous and objective application of what came to be called the scientific method.

In 1935, Tansley first articulated the notion of the ecosystem concept. It was especially significant because it understood that nature’s fundamental order does not lie entirely at the molecular level but at every level. Everything is connected to everything else, within a vast organic unity, and humans are included. The ecosystem concept establishes a theoretical foundation for a new world view with regenerative life-support systems.

This new view looks to nature for its source of regenerative design. "Regenerative design means replacing the present linear system of throughput flows with cyclical flows at sources, consumption centres, and sinks. A regenerative system provides for continuous replacement, through its own functional process, of the energy and materials used in its operation" (Lyle 1994).

The Grand Axis of Paris

The OIKOS group’s competition entry for the extension of the Grand Axis beyond La Defense in Paris is a case study which illustrates how regenerative design principles can be applied in the city.

In 1991, ten teams of planners and designers from several countries were invited to submit designs for a new extension of this famous Parisian axis. Their point of departure was that the extension of the Grand Axis might give form to the emerging new relationships between city and nature, adding a new chapter to the historical tableau of the Grand Axis (refer to figure). The media they chose for the regenerative processing proposed for the Axis were the urban river and the urban forest.

The design utilises the complex sets of interactions that characterise these two basic systems as they function in nature, adapts them to the urban environment, and augments them with the scientific and technical facility of the later 20th century.

The Urban River

The plan proposes to establish the urban river as a natural water-processing system within the axis environment, using sewage and highly polluted stormwater diverted from La Defense. In addition to its functional value, the system is designed as a powerful symbol of urban regeneration and a setting for the merging of city with nature.

The sequence of flow follows nature’s prevalent sequence: from source to lake to river to wetland, and then a return to the larger flow. In symbolic terms the sequence begins with the dark, still, reflective water of an urban lake forming a sacred, contemplative space with dark overtones of death and thus transition. Water moves from the lake into the winding flow of the river, suggesting the ongoing flow of life, and eventually it spreads into the teeming vitality of the primeval wetland, the regeneration of life. Within the symbolic flow of the river is the process of purification.

The Urban Forest

Trees play major roles in maintaining the quality of both air and water. To accomplish these tasks, the urban landscape must become a functioning ecosystem and not merely a decorative feature. The plan proposes an urban forest network to encompass the axis and its environs. The proposed natural forest community includes trees and shrubs of all sizes, thus providing a green filter at every level to about 30 metres above ground. In a sense the proposed forest represents an expansion and reinstatement, in contemporary ecological terms, of the theme began in the Tuilleries Garden where the access originated. But here it is presented in a much more complex form of overlaid grid modules that accommodates the diverse forest community of trees of varied types and sizes. The forest also provides routes for local movement on foot and bicycle, forming a network for local non-automobile circulation, though in many cases cars, pedestrians, and bicycles can move along the same routes.

In this more ecologically enlightened time, Lyle’s scheme provides an exciting glimpse of the possibilities for new rich urban environments where natural processes, culture and city come together in mutual respect and harmony.

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‘TALKING TO THE TREES’

The ‘Techno Pine Tree’ - developed by Infracom, Dorbyl and Rolisel - is the newest addition to a range of cellular phone masts disguised as trees. These ‘trees’, used by Vodacom, facilitate better cellular reception without defacing the urban environment.

Project team:

Client: Vocadom SA

Marketing and project management: Infracom (Pty) Ltd

Design and development: Infracom, Dorbyl Structural Products and Rolisel

Construction: Dorbyl Structural Products and Rolisel

The urban landscape is often defaced by technological structures such as satellite dishes, cellular masts and electricity pylons, often positioned high up on buildings or ridges. To make these blend into the environment, remains a problem for environmental planners, but a new cellular phone mast, recently completed by Infracom for Vodacom, in Linmeyer, Johannesburg and dubbed the ‘Techno Pine Tree’, is an example of an alternative way of handling unsightly masts.

The ‘Techno Pine’ is a cellular mast disguised as a pine tree and it forms part of Vodacom’s programme to limit the impact of cellular technology on the environment. The company has already camouflaged 26 of its cellular masts as palm trees as part of this ongoing aesthetic upgrading, and this includes a mast in Blue Water Bay, Port Elizabeth which is disguised as a light house.

AP Retief, CEO of Infracom - designers of the Techno Pine - explains: "The ‘tree’ was designed to blend into a variety of South African landscapes and mimics the appearance of pine trees which are widespread over the urban landscape". Concern has, however, been raised that the choice of an exotic pine, rather than an indigenous tree is inappropriate. Carin Steenkamp of Infracom explains that the shape of a pine tree makes it suitable for the technical requirements of constructing a mast and hiding the technical equipment between the branches. The pine tree also blends into the surroundings of Linmeyer, where many pine trees already exist. In future, the indigenous yellowwood tree (Podocarpus henkelii), which also has a conical shape, could be imitated.

Some critics of the ‘fake tree’ concept feel that technological artefacts, such as cell-phone masts are an integral part of the urban landscape and should not be hidden behind fibreglass and artificial leaves. What should be done instead, they say, is to design these masts as architectural features, similar to the way that street lights and some broadcast towers have been designed. An even better option, which the cellular companies already utilise, is to incorporate cell-phone ‘receivers’ into buildings, locating them on the rooftops where they are not visible from street level or hiding them in balustrades or sun screening.

However, there are many cases in which masts have to be located at a specific point to ensure the best reception. Many of these locations are in ‘green’ and/or residential areas and in these cases an artificial tree, which blends into its surroundings, is preferable to an unsightly steel mast.

Architect and urban designer, Henri Comrie made this comment at the launch of the ‘Techno Pine Tree’: "As our urban populations increase, so does the infrastructure needed to support them. Continuous technological advances which contribute to a more comfortable lifestyle add to the range of infrastructural artefacts which populate the urban landscape. Much of this infrastructure manifests itself as large physical structures which are ultimately geared towards serving their essential technical purposes. Here the operative word has to be constraint and sensitivity to context, rather than control. There might not be such a thing as a natural urban landscape but there is definitely such a thing as a pleasing or disturbing skyline, or jarring and harmonising forms. Through designing the spatial composition of the urban landscape, and of the technical artefacts within it, we may not be able to rival the examples set by natural landscapes but we can do away with the jumbled and jarring forms which manifest themselves through ad hoc interventions."

The keyword is context. Simply installing artificial trees all over the landscape can be as inappropriate as installing steel pylons everywhere. A fake palm tree in the bushveld will certainly be an eyesore, but with a carefully planned policy and programme which allows for the installation of discreetly camouflaged cell-phone masts where necessary, the quality of the urban environment can be preserved and even improved.

‘Techno Pine’ facts:

The design and material application of the ‘Techno Pine’ is very flexible so as to allow adaptation to different configurations and height of masts and towers. The tree bark is suitable for multi-section masts up to 55 m, without change to the bark material and the branches are configured as individual components of the tree. The total system has no moving parts, except for the leaves, and this gives increased reliability and lower maintenance. The material is human and wildlife friendly and non-toxic.

The South African Epileptic League contributed significantly towards the manufacturing of the foliage - 140 km of high density polyethylene (1 mm/dia) rod was used and more than 1 million individual needles were cut and packed by hand. The cladding system consists of bark, mesh and plastic lath, and is designed so that no air or water is trapped on the galvanised surface. The branches which are constructed of fibreglass are UV treated to achieve at least 80% colour fastness over a minimum period of 5 years of direct sunlight.

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PRODUCTS FOR GREEN BUILDINGS

The Urban Green File strives to promote techniques related to energy saving, and environmentally friendly building products and services. Property owners, engineers, architects, local governments and others need to take note of ‘green products’ - not only because of the obvious economic savings related to energy conservation but also to promote a healthier office environment thereby stimulating productivity.

Green Buildings for Africa Programme

The Division of Building Technology (Boutek) at the CSIR has developed a Building Environmental Assessment and Rating System (BEARS) under the leadership of Theuns Knoetze. BEARS is a voluntary and objective process for measuring and rewarding actions that advance the environmental performance and energy-efficiency of buildings and guard against any impact on the health of the occupants of buildings.

However, feedback from the major stakeholders such as property owners, consulting engineers, architects and local government has made it clear that building assessment alone will not be adequate. This has motivated the CSIR to initiate the Green Buildings for Africa Programme. The system rewards those companies that strive to improve the environmental performance, indoor conditions and energy efficiency of their buildings. It encourages building owners to voluntarily implement profitable energy efficiency improvements, to ensure sustainable development and to provide comfortable and safe indoor conditions whilst minimising damage to the environment and risk to human health.

To become part of the programme, a building owner signs a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ (MOU) between himself and the CSIR to guarantee that sustainable development is now one of the organisation’s priorities. The programme logo can be used for marketing purposes. The participant could ask for a voluntary assessment of the building according to the Green Buildings Environmental Assessment System within a month of signing the MOU.

The CSIR is currently busy with a pilot study where the programme is being tested on three buildings belonging to Old Mutual which is one of the largest property owners in South Africa. The Green Buildings for Africa programme will be launched officially at the beginning of 1998.

For further information contact Theuns Knoetze at Tel: (012) 841 4985

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OFFICE ENVIRONMENTS - THREE OPTIONS

In keeping with the theme for this issue, The Urban Green File features three developments that incorporate offices. Gerald Garner visits The Cloisters - a perimeter block in Rivonia, Atterbury Estate - an office park in Menlyn that revolves around a pedestrian spine, and Bara-link - a mixed use development comprising office, retail, residential and industrial use in Soweto.

Baralink, Soweto - bridging old apartheid barriers

The Baralink development framework sets guidelines for the development of a buffer strip area between Soweto and Johannesburg, comprising offices, industrial, commercial, retail, recreational and residential land uses.

Professional team:

Client: Greater Johannesburg Transitional Metropolitan Council

Town and regional planners: Burger & Waluk

Urban designers: Urban Solutions

Environmental consultants: SRK

Environmental consultants (landfill site): Bohlweki Environmental

Public participation consultants: Thebe Development Consultants

Transporation consultants: Stanway Edwards Ngomane Associates

The area around the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital served as a buffer strip between the City of Johannesburg and the dormitory township of Soweto during the apartheid years. Large institutions (a military base, prison, power station and hospital) dominate the landscape and limit access to Soweto primarily via the Old Potch Road. The Bara-link development, proposed by the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Council (GJMC) for the area, is an attempt to link these two segregated worlds.

Baralink stretches from the M1 Highway and Diepkloof Prison in the east to the Soweto Power Station and Orlando Dam in the west and lies between Diepkloof in the north and Eldorado Park in the south. Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital is in the centre of the area. Currently most of the land is undeveloped.

The development framework for this area is based on seven planning principles, which could be applied to many other similar scenarios where town and township have the potential to become an integrated system.

Making connections

Soweto was designed to facilitate easy control of the inhabitants: a few access roads enabled the apartheid forces to control movement easily. The development framework aims to improve access by establishing regional connections, linking Soweto to Johannesburg, Sophiatown and Roodepoort, and linking the various areas within Soweto with each other through improved rail and road connections - thereby improving access and empowering a whole region. Improved access creates opportunities and stimulates the ‘movement economy’ where land uses such as commercial and industrial are aligned to movement corridors.

A grid of streets

Soweto’s streets are characterised by a lack of linkage with many terminating in culs-de-sac. The development framework proposes restoring the grid pattern of the streets by linking the various culs-de-sac where possible. A grid of streets facilitates ease of movement, is easily understood, provides more choice of movement routes - and the grid is essential to promote public transport. A grid also aids dispersement of traffic volumes thereby reducing peak level congestion considerably.

Empowerment through urban form

A well planned city (the ‘urban form’) can empower its inhabitants. People should not be more than 400 m, or 5 minutes walking distance away from public transport and facilities which provide their basic needs (buying basic food supplies). By making the city pedestrian friendly, the young, the old and those unable to afford private transport, are empowered.

Integrating the urban mix

In contrast to the traditionalist modern viewpoint of town planning, where areas are zoned for single uses, the development framework proposes a model where urban dwellers should not be more than 400 m away from a ‘24 hour area’. Each 60 ha zone forms a local district with its own ‘24 hour zone’ at the centre. Around these centres an appropriate mix of housing, employment, commerce, recreation and transport infrastructure should occur.

Safety through community

Buildings which have an active relationship with the street increase safety – ‘mixed use’ buildings with housing on the upper floor ensure ‘eyes on the street’. Security through community is more desirable than security by isolation and definitely more affordable than building high walls around each property.

New Business Centre

At the heart of Baralink will be a new business centre located on the Old Potch Road. Particularly large numbers of people move down this road in taxi’s and buses, thereby creating massive buying power. A new railway line from Nasrec and Johannesburg is also proposed and will be located down the centre of the Old Potch Road in an underground tunnel, bringing even more people to the new business centre. Residential stability around this centre will ensure a safe investment environment.

Public transport

An affordable public transport system, including taxis, buses and the proposed new railway line will ensure the full use and viability of the new urban environment. Local districts will provide a framework for maximising the economical viability of public transport.

Critique on the urban context:

Although Bara-link is only at the development framework stage, the development principles should stimulate a healthy environment in the future. Hopefully, the opportunity will not be lost to integrate the various public open spaces (including dams and streams) into the development, and to ensure that they are also accessible and safe.

Atterbury estate, Menlyn

Carefully planned spatial relationships between the various buildings, complemented by appropriate landscaping, create something special out of a conventional commercial office park.

Client: Sanlam Properties

Developer: Murray & Roberts Properties

Architects: Taljaard Carter Architects

Quantity surveyors: Farrow Laing Ntene

Structural engineers: McCartan Shaw & Robinson

Landscape architects: Green Inc

Main Contractor: Murray & Roberts Buildings

Landscape contractor: Greenacres

Atterbury Estate - an office park in Menlyn, Pretoria - is, in many ways, a fairly conventional commercial office park. Developed by Murray & Roberts Properties and bought by Sanlam Properties, the plans of the individual office blocks are typical commercial, 12m deep, office space with maximum flexibility, providing space ranging from 100m² for smaller clients to 1500m² for the ‘anchor tenants’. Yet, Atterbury Estate is different from most office parks - each building has a unique identity, while all the buildings overlook a central pedestrian spine, giving the development its ‘village ambience’.

Architect Henri Comrie sees the spatial relationships between the buildings as the most important part of the design. The architecture itself is in many ways conservative to meet the needs of the client, yet it is original and different from the ‘copy book’ neo-classical architecture which is nowadays such a familiar site in office parks. However, it is the urban design approach - linking the buildings together through the use of a central pedestrian spine which acts as a ‘village street’, complemented by appropriate landscaping - that gives the development its character.

Hidden parking areas help to create an office park which is not dominated by cars - almost no cars are visible from the pedestrian spine. The site slopes from east to west (towards the river) and this presented the opportunity to provide parking for the tenants underneath the buildings. The pedestrian spine stretches from south to north. All the buildings on the western side of the spine are built on pillars with parking underneath the buildings. The ‘ground floor’ (in reality the first floor) offices are therefore level with the spine - enabling visitors, who park in an above-ground parking area, to access the buildings directly from the spine and not through the basements. The buildings on the western side of the spine are built on the same level as the spine.

The landscape is reminiscent of a cottage garden with lots of flowers and colour. Most of the plants are indigenous and this proves that indigenous landscaping can be lively. Landscape architect Anton Comrie of Green Inc explains the design approach: "The original landscape design was simple and clean to suit the hi-tech design of the buildings. However, the architects had to change the facades when Sanlam bought the development and the landscape design then followed the ‘village ambience’ of the buildings."

The landscaping focuses mainly on the spine between the buildings. From the parking area, visitors walk through an avenue of trees (Peltophorum africanum - the ‘tree of the issue’) into the ‘central square’. A tower dominates this informal square and serves as a focal point for the whole development. Shaped lawn areas (berms) serve as three dimensional objects in this space.

Both the architects and landscape architects describe the integration between architecture and landscape as the biggest achievement of the project. They worked together to position the buildings and shape the external spaces. The landscape architects and landscape contractor, also worked together on site to ensure that the installation followed the design as closely as possible.

Unfortunately, the opportunity to integrate the stream, running past the western side of the development, into the office park, has been missed. Murray and Roberts Properties offered to maintain the park area on the stream’s edge on behalf of the Pretoria City Council, on the condition that they were allowed to increase the bulk of the development. The council refused - with the result that the office park is fenced in and separated from the river. Integration between developments and open spaces will help to improve the urban environment by facilitating better maintenance and improved security. However, the landscape links visually with the riverine context, as veld grasses and indigenous trees are planted between the fence and the river.

Critique on the urban context:

The central pedestrian spine is a memorable space which ties the different buildings together successfully. The mainly indigenous planting is commendable as it attracts birds and insects and proves that indigenous landscaping can be colourful.

The office park is a fenced-in development which is not linked to any neighbouring development or the urban fabric. This is mainly due to the fact that no development framework exists for Menlyn. If such a framework had existed, it would have been possible to link the pedestrian spine to a large pedestrian axis linking the various developments in Menlyn. It would then have been possible to walk between these, rather than being forced to move around by car.

The Cloisters, Rivonia

The Cloisters is a mixed use urban complex, providing retail facilities and office space while at the same time defining a public open space on Rivonia Boulevard.

Client: Tiber Projects and Standard Merchant Commercial Bank

Architects: Cox Darby Gibbon

Project managers: Duncan Rhodes

Quantity surveyors: Farrow Laing & Ntene

Structural & civil engineers: Kampel Abramowitz Yawitch & Partners

Mechanical engineers: R Pearce & Partners

Fire protection engineers: Morgado & Bagus

Plumbing consultants: S J Franklin Associates

Electrical consultants: Standard Electrical

Main contractors: Tiber Bonvec

The Cloisters, a retail and office development on Rivonia Boulevard, fills an entire site from ‘boundary to boundary’. This is unlike the present trend of placing a building in the middle of a site, surrounded by parking areas and, in some cases, landscaping. Although a ‘boundary to boundary’ situation if often thought of as environmentally insensitive - leaving no room for greenery - it may improve the urban environment. Instead of creating an inaccessible ‘lost’ space behind the boundary fence of the development, a ‘boundary to boundary’ situation faces onto and adds activities to the street, also leading to increased security because of increased surveillance.

Architect Tom Cox of Cox Darby Gibbon feels that the Council made a huge effort, a few years ago, to develop Rivonia Boulevard as a public space - a street flanked with interesting shops, restaurants and public spaces. However, many developments that followed shielded themselves from the boulevard by providing parking areas in front of the buildings. Some being only one storey in height, also do not provide the required height, along with the necessary activities, to define the edges of a pedestrian boulevard. The Cloisters addresses this problem by providing structured (covered) parking off Wessels Road, away from the boulevard which primarily caters for pedestrians. On the boulevard, cafes with large windows flank the street with activities, spilling onto an 8m wide buffer strip between the tarred vehicular street and the building, creating a lively and safe urban pedestrian space. This ‘cafe mall’ runs parallel to an interior shopping mall.

The Cloisters is a true urban building in that it provides for a variety of land uses. The ground level is dedicated to retail, while offices are available upstairs in the form of an ‘office park’ on the roof of the retail. The retail rooftop forms the ‘ground level’ for the office development and an external street provides access for the tenants who park on this level, allowing them to walk directly into their offices. The various office buildings each overlook their own internal courtyards.

Critique on the urban context:

• Successfully defines a public space on Rivonia Boulevard
• Mixed land-use facilitates a convenient urban lifestyle - offices, retail and even housing in close proximity

·          The psychology of office parks

·          Carol Knoll spoke to Kate Grieve, senior psychology lecturer at UNISA, to find out whether there was any research into, and possibly statistical proof of, increased productivity amongst employees working in office buildings located in parkland settings.

·          She said that the issue was a complex one and the main problem was that you could not separate the physical environment from job satisfaction issues. "At one stage, post occupancy evaluation was the fashionable thing to do, but it lost impetus because you cannot look at the physical aspects apart from organisational climate and culture. This ties up with the transactional approach in environmental psychology, meaning that there is a continuous and dynamic process whereby people influence and are influenced by the environment in a holistic way, not as two separate elements.

·          "Nature and wildlife are more important to some types of individual than to others, and in an office situation there are all sorts of people - the parkland setting will probably be more meaningful to the better educated, but then again there are so many other factors - if you are unhappy with your job, it’s not going to make any difference. Performance at work is, after all, a function of the individual: the environment per se has minor impact, it is the person’s interpretation of that environment - in the form of symbiotic meanings, associations based on past experience, etc - that is critical," was Grieve’s comment.

·          She mentioned that there had been some research which pointed to workers prefering to be near windows and performing better with fresh air and natural vistas but she cautioned that these studies were very old and had not been repeated, meaning that the results might no longer be relevant. "The bottom line is that no conclusions can be drawn about the office park situation until further studies have been done and I am sure that organisational aspects will be found to be of greater importance."

·          She said that, in her opinion, the advantage of an office park was that it was a nice environment and employees were likely to respect this and to take care of it, almost as though they were part owners. In conclusion, she said that she hoped employers would not use a nice environment as a justification for treating their employees badly.

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UNITING NATURE AND CULTURE - THE TSWAING CRATER MUSEUM TRAIL

"The critical success factor of the Tswaing Crater project is the involvement, protection and utilisation of the area by the local people. This is an environmental project and the term ‘environmental’ does not only pertain to the natural, but also includes the human or cultural environment. African culture has a far more integrated and holistic approach to the environment - nature is culture. A plant or animal is food or medicine, provides raw material for crafts and is part of the religious belief system," commented Dr Udo Küsel, director of the National Cultural History Museum, in a talk he gave at a workshop on public participation, last year, when Tswaing was already manifesting a percentage of success through true community involvement.

Tswaing or ‘place of salt’ is an exceptional site, some 40 km north of Pretoria, which is surrounded by informal settlements including Soshanguve, Winterveld, Kromkuil and Nuwe Eersterust. The outstanding feature of the site is the meteoritic impact crater with its lake of salt. It was only in the late ‘80s that a drilling project was finally able to determine the meteoritic origin of the crater with certainty and it is now world renowned as one of the best examples of its kind. It was also in the ‘80s, when the site was being used for an agricultural experiment, that the squatters in the area in their need for food and firewood started pillaging expeditions onto the site. Eventually, the problem became so severe that the Department of Agriculture was about to pull down the fences and abandon the farm - and it was at this point, in the early ‘90s, that the National Cultural History Museum proposed the idea of an ‘environmental museum’ and the long process of public participation started. "We saw the chance of changing the biggest threat (people) to the crater and its environment into its biggest opportunity - visitors, customers, partners and custodians," said Küsel.

The interested and affected parties that became part of the process under the banner of the Tswaing Forum comprised both scientists and the local people. And, again according to the principles of Integrated Environmental Management, impact studies were done, and a masterplan and then a development plan drawn up, by consultants Van Riet & Louw in conjunction with the Tswaing Forum. One of the first aspects that was implemented was an educational trail and the route was planned by the Centre for Ecotourism at the University of Pretoria, while the signage was designed by the National Cultural History Museum in close consultation with members of the scientific community. A local contractor, appointed by the community, was trained to construct the trail and local people have been employed as guides to escort the increasing numbers of tourists and school groups (there are 700 schools in the greater community) that are visiting the crater. The trail was sponsored by the Royal Dutch Embassy.

Carol Knoll of The Urban Green File took a walk along the 7,2 km trail accompanied by Paul Bewsher of the Centre for Ecotourism and the project manager of the Tswaing Crater Museum, Kobus Basson of the National Cultural History Museum.

The impact on the environment and the enjoyment/enlightenment of the visitor are the two most important aspects of trail planning, generally. At Tswaing, the topography and the views have been taken into account along with the geological formation, vegetation, habitats and the signs of man’s use of the crater over the ages. Directional signage is in the form of the traditional footprint - yellow rather than white (because there is a great deal of white in the veld) on a dark green background. Numerous tree and shrub species are marked with botanical labels, while detailed informational signage is in the form of large plaques on concrete podia at ground level.

This educational signage, which is located at so called ‘work stations’ along the trail, follows a logical story concering events and uses, and the guides from the community have created a story telling exercise which supplements the signage, resulting in a holistic interpretation of the environment. Much of the information, concerning the traditional uses of the plants and the legendary or mythical aspects of the place, provided by the guides, has been gleaned from older members of the communities around Tswaing. A story such as that of the jacket plum tree (Pappea capensis), which serves the womenfolk well as a resting place on their way back from collecting water because it has a large, shady canopy, having earned the name of ‘skinderboom’ (Afrikaans translation) is a cultural interpretation. This can be combined with scientific information explaining mechanical weathering at a point on the trail where this same species has cracked open and grown through an ejected granite block - these large chunks of stone were thrown outwards onto the rim of the crater with the impact of the meteorite. Colourful lichens on the granite also present an opportunity to explain the process of biochemical weathering.

Some of the aforementioned work stations which are now simply clearings around the plaques will become simple outdoor classrooms in the near future - often only making use of natural features such as rocks for seats and tree canopies for shade, whereas others at key points along the trail, such as the archaeological sites or the salt factory, will be sheltered by roofs or comprise simple bomas constructed with elements of indigenous architecture - such as sickle bush plaited into the walls, Shangaan style - in their make-up. At a prominent viewpoint along the crater rim, a deck is to be built overlooking the crater as part of the work station, carefully designed and constructed so as not to impact on the skyline from any angle. At each classroom, a lock-up box will contain material and tools required for certain educational exercises, such as paper for tree bark rubbings.

Teachers are already using the work stations to slot in with the school curricula - the diameter of a tree trunk or of the crater is calculated as a mathematics exercise, while an English comprehension test is done on the geology of the crater or the history of the surrounding settlements on the Springbok flats written up on the plaques. So called ‘enlightened interpretation’ is encouraged by the local guides that accompany the teachers and school groups, which means that all the senses - touch, smell, hearing, as well as sight, are brought into play. Bird sounds are many and varied as the site, which has long been a favourite of birders, is believed to have up to 300 species present during the year and was frequently used by the renowned ornithologist, Austin Roberts, in his work on bird identification.

The trail has been planned for the average city dweller and is a relatively easy excursion of three to four hours with many resting places provided. The distance to the first viewpoint of the crater is an acceptable length for a disabled person and is accessible to wheelchairs. Thousands of people have already traversed the path since it was opened in March ‘96 and there is very little compaction or erosion in evidence, which indicates that the alignment of the trail is correct, people are not short-cutting and stabilisation measures are, generally, adequate. Paul Bewsher pointed out that the use of gumpoles as stabilisers against erosion had not been ideal and that natural rock was not only more effective but more durable and aesthetically pleasing.

The trail is meant to be walked in the early morning so that the sun is behind the hiker - and as the sun turns so the hiker turns - and the light at the first viewpoint of the crater is ideal for photography. In the crater, the trail follows the contours and along ecotones, such as that between the grassland and the belt of acacias, where there are increased bird spotting possibilities, before climbing gradually into the dry Combretum woodland of the hot, north-facing slopes. At the end of the trail, beyond the ruins of the salt factory, the path widens out so that walking side by side is facilitated and debriefing is easier to accomplish.

A related, recycling project has been brought into operation because scholars are permitted to pay their entrance fee to the trail in the form of 20 empty cans. In areas of the veld previously degraded by over-grazing, the pioneering sickle bush (Dichrostachys cinerea) has invaded and this bush encroachment has led to an-other community project with an economic value - that of bush clearing. Three out of every four sickle bushes are being removed and sold as firewood with the profit going back into the project.

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PLAY PUMP - AN ALTERNATIVE TO HAND PUMPS

Water provision is often a problem in areas that experience rapid urbanisation or in more remote places. Ronnie Stuiver invented an innovative aternative to the ‘hand pump-linked-to-a-borehole’ solution which so often has been used to provide communities with water. His solution is the Play Pump - a waterpump that harnesses the natural playfulness and boundless energy of children to drive the pump. A driving mechanism for a borehole pump is operated by the movement of playground equipment like round-a-bouts and merry-go-rounds, and this pumps water while the children are playing. "This is a much better alternative than normal hand pumps which are impractical to install and operate because of their many moving parts that require extensive maintenance," says Stuiver.

Contact Ronnie Stuiver at Tel: (0157) 661 1444

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IT’S NOT ON TOP – IT’S INSIDE!

The Office Boyz’ latest product - the Optiview - is the solution to many headaches in the office environment. The Optiview is a desk with built-in space for a computer underneath the desk, leaving more space on the desk and leaving the office neat and uncluttered. The computer screen is positioned under a glass screen inside the desk which provides a more natural angle of vision, reducing unhealthy strain for humans.

The Optiview has many benefits for its users:

• it saves costly floor space
• the hidden screen ensures confidentiality
• the office environment is more attractive for workers and visitors
• in a training situation (lecture room), eye-to-eye contact between the trainer and students is achievable

Optiview desks can be custom made to suit any space or function, in any colour or finish.

For more information contact Ron Manefeldt or Casper Visser at

Tel: (011) 493 7700